lifeblood: songs: backgrounds: become you

2002-xx-xx: indigo girls, keppler associates inc:

"become you," the title track, joins an unforgettable chorus to a subtle metaphor. "it's really about the struggle for identity in the context of the south," says amy. "because i'm a southerner, and there's a constant struggle over how to hang on to our southern identity while ridding ourselves of racism - that 'damned old confederacy.'

"i tried to personalize these ideas, to portray the differences with my neighbors in my own rural area. a one-to-one relationship is a microcosm of these bigger social relations. to me, it's all about how you come to understand another person, how you can respect their humanity even when you think their position is deplorable."

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2002-03-04: indigo girls launch new, intimate tour, university wire:

the title track also has a social message, emily said, "it's about racism in the south, heritage and how people can get along despite differences."

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2002-03-08: indigo girls hold onto their roots, cnn website:

cnn: tell us about the inspiration for the different songs.

ray: it's vast. a song like "become you" ... deals with [the fact that] i'm a southerner from about four generations of southerners. and it deals with the conflicts of being really in love with the south and feeling entrenched, but not appreciating the history of racism and understanding the historical significance of things with the confederacy and all that - but not agreeing with a lot of it. ... so i wanted to write a song about how we become what we are, each side, and how to respect each other in that dialogue. and i think it can apply to bigger, broader issues in the world.

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2002-06-23: activism is no act for indigo girls, the dayton daily news:

the song that gives the album its name reflects the georgia-born ray's struggle to come to terms with her southern heritage and its racist identity. "i tried to personalize these ideas, to portray differences with my neighbors in my own rural area," she said when the album first came out. "a one-to-one relationship is a microcosm of these bigger social relations. to me, it's all about how you come to understand another person, how you can respect their humanity even when you think their position is deplorable."

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2002-07-05: indigo girls return to roots with album, the salt lake city deseret news:

the title track, "become you," was written by ray and illustrates her struggle to reconcile her southern identity with the racism she sees in her neighbors. "to me, it's all about how you come to understand another person, how you can respect their humanity even when you think their position is deplorable."

almost paradoxically, the music for "become you" is upbeat and cheerful, while ray sings such lyrics as "the center held the bonded slave. . . . the center held the bloody hand of the executioner man." she said the paradox was both intentional and enjoyable. "i knew the chorus was very pop, and i did that on purpose. it reminded me of the clash (of racism). i've always liked taking something that's political, or something hard to digest, and making it into something more pop, 'cuz then people sing along to it. people are singing along with it, and suddenly they'll hear the words and say, 'oh. that's what i'm singing.' it really makes them think about it."

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2002-07-11: the many shades of indigo girls, the long beach press-telegram:

"become you's" title track, written by ray, is her struggle to reconcile and hang on to her southern identity in a region haunted by racism.

"for someone who lives in the middle of the maelstrom that is the south, to describe very acutely both sides of the question and to take a stand in terms of 'i can become who i need to be, i don't need to become you,' is very, very powerful," marsh says. "it says i don't have to be my limits, i can be my own possibilities."

ray says, "i tried to personalize these ideas, to portray differences with my neighbors in my own rural area. "a one-to-one relationship is a microcosm of these bigger social relations.

"to me, it's all about how you come to understand another person, how you can respect their humanity even when you think their position is deplorable."

"it's a beautiful song. if you weren't around for the civil rights movement and missed the spirit, (this song) is as close as any white person has come to getting it back," marsh says. "it's the place where amy and emily really step forward and acknowledge their southernness and what they're about."